Murmansk
By 7:30 am this morning we had calm seas and grey overcast skies and a temp of 45F. We then entered the mouth of the Kola Peninsula on our way to Murmansk. We passed by fishing boats, which surrounded National Geographic Explorer. Also we were able to see nuclear submarines, many guests commented on this extraordinary event having lived through the cold war themselves. The vegetation on land covered the hills in a green color, but we could see that this is the end of the northern hemisphere summer. During the night we had made good speed so we entered the pilot station earlier than expected. The reason for our second visit was to clear from Russia after visiting Franz Joseph Land. As we passed along the fjord we could see many examples of soviet architecture as we took two hours to make our way with the pilot to the berth in Murmansk, all the while witnessing the Rowan trees along the shore with antennae and navigation aids as well. Along the shores there were more and more merchant vessels and ice breakers. As we went alongside the pier the rain continued to pour down, which was similar to the weather to our first visit.
The short bus trip to downtown Murmansk offered us a few hours to shop for souvenirs and walk around and get an impression of a city and Russian people in transition. From a closed communist country to a capitalist society in just 20 years. New shops, colorful advertising, lots of fresh vegetable from exotic locals, designer brand clothing from Europe, lots of foreign cars: BMW’s, Fiat, Mercedes to name a few. These were just a few of the new things for me as a visitor back in the eighties. This is a very interesting time to visit an ice free port that lies north to the Arctic Circle; a place in transition. After clearing out of Russia, we steamed north full speed back into the Barents’s Sea. Heading for another visit to Spitsbergen Island. A journey that will take about 48 hours.
